The gift of potentialOur nation has just celebrated the legacy of a man who recognized that a person’s character is more important than the color of his skin and that all men and women have within themselves potential that could change destinies, regardless of ethnicity, social standing or heredity. What if Dr. King had first never realized his potential, or worse realized it, but because of fear never developed it? Fear of public opinion causes many people to bur...

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Pastor William Flynn / Grace Chapel Pentecostal ChurchThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Church briefs (Feb. 20, 2015)Singing at Gospel Lighthouse postponed The gospel singing and potluck originally scheduled for this evening at Gospel Lighthouse Pentecostal Church of God has been postponed due to winter weather. The event has been rescheduled for Friday, March 20. For more information, call (479) 747-3744. Slaty Crossing Free Will Baptist revival The Slaty Crossing Free Will Baptist Church will be in revival Monday through Wednesday. Bro. Jamie Burris, the c...

What does God’s law require?Last time we noted that a person comes to recognize sin from the law of God. God’s law — God’s Word, the Bible — shows us our sin and misery. That raises another question: what does God’s law require? More specifically, what does God’s law require of us? Jesus Christ gave this summary of God’s law in Matthew 22: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first comm...

Let God’s children praise HimIf we are a child of God, then we have a lot to thank Him for and praise Him for. I know I can never thank Him or praise Him enough for what he has done for me all through my life. Most of all, though, I want to thank Him and praise Him for his gift of salvation — he sent his only begotten son to be tortured and to die on a cross for my sins. For without Him dying for my sins, I would have no hope of eternal life with God and Jesus Christ afte...

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Barbara Ann Freeman TownsendThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Church briefs (Feb. 13, 2015)Arkansas River Valley Singing Convention The Arkansas River Valley Singing Convention will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the First Freewill Baptist Church in Atkins. A potluck lunch will be served. For more information, call (501) 662-4535. Mt. Vernon WAC Snap Jewelry Party The Mt. Vernon WAC (Women Active for Christ) will host a Snap Jewelry Party from 4-7 p.m. on Saturday, March 7. Ts Beads, Inc. and Boutique will be at the Matthew Center ...

How does a person come to recognize sin?We noted last week that a person must know three things to live and die in the joy of belonging to Jesus Christ. According to one of the Protestant Reformers, the first of these is “how great my sin and misery are.” That said, how does a person come to recognize his or her sin and misery? In fact, what do those words even mean? That’s hard to know because of how our society has played Humpty Dumpty with the word “sin.” Everyone has heard of Le...

The nature of loveIt is almost St. Valentine’s Day; the day we celebrate love. I will leave it to others to provide extensive information regarding the great saint of the church whose name is joined to this celebration. It is enough to say he was a saint. What made the third century Roman churchman so famous, so connected to the word “Love?” If I Google St. Valentine, I find very little is actually known about him. But there must have been some great widely acc...

Go in the strength you haveThis article contains several pertinent quotes from William Sykes’ The Eternal Vision, along with a Scriptural introduction, brief running commentary, and closing summation. It is intended for devotional purposes. The angel of the Lord greeted Gideon, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior” (Judg. 5:12). Apparently not in terms of anything he had done up to that time, but in anticipation of what would come to pass. In any case, Gideon was uncon...

Church briefs (Feb. 6, 2015)Bells Chapel Valentine’s Banquet, Singing Bells Chapel Freewill Baptist Church will host a Valentine’s Banquet and Singing on Saturday. The singing will begin at 5 p.m., and the banquet will be held from 6-8 p.m. The menu includes spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, cake and tea or coffee. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted. The church is located at 227 Blackwell Road in Blackwell. For more information, call Wayne at (501) 208-3817 ...

The Lord will not leave His children or forsake usGod is a loving God, but he is also a jealous God. We should never worship anyone or anything but him. We should always put him first in our life. In Deuteronomy 31:6-8 6 says “be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” 7 says “And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, be strong and of a good c...

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Barbara Ann Freeman TownsendThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

House supports tougher sex offender restrictionsLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas' highest-level sex offenders would be barred from living near churches under a proposal passed by the House. Members voted 75-7 on Tuesday to bar level four sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of churches. Arkansas classifies level four offenders as sexually violent predators, which is the most severe designation by the state. Sex offenders already living near churches would be grandfathered in under the pro...

His grace is sufficientRecently, as I was reflecting on God’s laws and their designed purpose for us, I remembered a Brigham Young University address given by Bradley Wilcox, professor of education at BYU entitled “His Grace is Sufficient” wherein he stated that one of the purposes of divine law, from the Ten Commandments to the Word of Wisdom, is to teach. The notion of law-as-teacher, I thought, was a particularly interesting point of view; but after further refle...

Have you had one of those days?Maybe there is someone who you thought you knew and/or even loved, who sent you on an emotional tailspin? Today, I would like to look at a story, told by Jesus, about a father and his two sons. Yes, the story is the parable we call, “The Prodigal Son.” But we’re not going to put ourselves in the prodigal’s place; not even the older son’s place. I want you to take the roll of the father. The story can be found in Luke 15:11-32. Why, you might a...

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Major Linda Payton / Pastor, The Salvation Army, RussellvilleThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Church briefs (Jan. 30, 2015)Annual Chili for Children fundraiser today Chili for Children, the annual fundraiser of the Age to Age program, will be held from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today at the Wesley Foundation at Arkansas Tech University. The menu includes homemade chili, cookies, brownies and all the fixings. This is a come-and-go lunch with carry-out and deliveries available. Age to Age is an organization sponsored by the Wesley Foundation that reaches out to at-risk c...

Three things to knowWhat must you know to live and die with strength and hope in Jesus Christ? Some people might say you need not know a single thing. In their opinion, Christianity is a feeling. The Apostle Paul would have disagreed. He made it clear in 1 Corinthians 15 that Christianity lives or dies on the basis of certain facts, not emotions. That would explain the many times in the Bible we hear calls to know, remember, or understand, both in the Old Testame...

God's plan of salvationI believe that God had his plan of salvation from the very beginning. He knew we would all need a Savior so our sins could be forgiven. In John 3:16 Jesus says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” In vs. 17 Jesus says, “For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world: but that the world through him might be saved.” Even back ...

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Barbara Ann Freeman TownsendThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Church briefs (Jan. 23, 2015)Ola United Methodist Church news The Ola United Methodist Church will host a fellowship and games night at 6 p.m. tonight. The church will host the Tuesday Friends potluck at noon on Tuesday. Everyone is welcome to attend both events. For more information, contact Rev. Melanie Tubbs at (479) 223-3720. Pine Ridge FWB monthly singing Saturday Pine Ridge Free Will Baptist Church will host its monthly singing at 6 p.m. on Saturday. Refreshments wi...

Comfort in life and in deathWhat is your only comfort in life and in death? To put the question differently, what gives you hope for your life today and your death in the future? Many people in our world set their hope on money, possessions and other forms of wealth. The futility of that is probably obvious to most of us. No matter how useful money, possessions and the like can be, they don’t last forever. Furthermore, even while they do, they cannot give us lasting happ...

What is a church?Two months ago, Congregation Chiam B’ Derech moved again. We didn’t move across town this time, just across the parking lot to a new unit in the Riverbend Plaza. We needed a thousand more square feet, and this unit had it! We were thrilled! We moved all of our “stuff” in one day, by just walking it across the parking lot with a pallet jack borrowed from a family business, and a pickup truck for the piano. Members laughed and hauled and ate piz...

Church briefs (Jan. 16, 2015)Singing at Gospel Lighthouse Pentecostal The Gospel Lighthouse Pentecostal Church of God will host a gospel singing and potluck dinner at 7 p.m. tonight. To reach the church, travel seven miles north from Dover on State Highway 7 and turn left on State Highway 164. Travel west approximately six miles, and the church is on the left. Pastors Greg and Donna Proctor invite everyone to attend. For more information, call (479) 747-3744. Scottsville ...